Nanotechnology General News

(Nanowerk News) Electro Scientific Industries, Inc., a leading provider of world-class photonic and laser systems for microengineering applications, today introduced its Model 6680 Visual Test System for two- and three-dimension inspection of ceramic components. ESI’s 6680 system extends the strengths of its Model 6650A to provide twice the throughput, combined with industry-leading yield. The system also offers 30-percent higher resolution for side inspection and 200-percent higher resolution for end inspection of surface-mount MLCC, MLCI and MLCV chips. The first 6680 system has been purchased and is being used in production at one of ESI’s customer sites located in Japan.

Superior inspection and accurate sorting of acceptable chips from defective chips is critical in the production of ceramic components. Due to its remarkably increased throughput, precision and flexibility, the Model 6680 is ideally suited for production inspection in a manufacturing environment that demands uncompromised performance and low cost-of-ownership.

“The 6680 system builds on the success of the 6650A tool and is designed to enable our customers’ evolving product roadmaps,” noted Vernon Cooke, ESI passive components product marketing manager. “Our strong customer relationships allow us to better understand their manufacturing challenges and changing requirements. As a result, we developed the 6680 system with twice the throughput over the previous generation tool. The system also offers significantly higher resolution and performance capabilities to provide unprecedented yield and cost advantages for high-volume ceramic component inspection. By leveraging our relationships, we will continue to develop leading solutions to provide our customers with significant competitive advantages to further their success.”

About the Model 6680

ESI's Model 6680 Visual Test System provides automatic inspection and sorting of surface-mount MLCC, MLCI, and MLCV chips. Inspecting up to 2800 pts/min (168,000 pts/hr), the 6680 reduces labor cost and floor space for significant cost-of-ownership advantages in a compact platform. ESI’s 6680 system provides the industry’s best inspection capability of minor defects on terminated and un-terminated chips. While its software is enhanced with a broader set of individual defect categories, the new handling mechanism incorporates a belt conveyor to route chips to the “accept bin” without the possibility of damage. ESI’s Model 6680 provides high throughput, precision and flexibility for high-volume production inspection of ceramic components.